STORY: Her sister's death has driven senior year high-school student Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) to the edge. Grappling with the tragedy, she finds herself standing on the ledge of a bridge on a cold winter morning. Fellow student Theodore Finch (Justice Smith) happens to pass by that same stretch for his morning jog. What transpires that these two casual classmates embark on a journey of love in the times of grief and heartache?
REVIEW: If you are pretty and famous, then you are happy and life is all balloons and rainbows. Well, this myth most certainly does not apply to high schooler Violet Markey. The young girl lost her sister and best friend Eleanor to a road accident in Indiana years after shifting base from California with their parents. Grief-stricken, lonely and lost on Eleanor’s birthday, Violet visits the bridge where her sister had died. Her life is hanging by a thread as she stares blankly at the mighty river, contemplating taking her own life.
Right before Violet could take that drastic step, a charming yet notorious classmate (they call him ‘The Freak’ at school for having exhibited moments of sheer violence in public) Theodore chances upon her while going about his morning jog. With his calm demeanour and ability to negotiate like a pro, Theodore manages to talk her out of ending her life and sends her home. After much cajoling, (through text exchanges on Virginia Woolf’s quotes) and a few awkward hallway conversations, a geography class project binds the two together. It so happens that they are supposed to team up for a ‘wander assignment’ and ‘take pictures, make notes and write about’ two to three star attractions of Indiana before they graduate and go off to face the real world.
At the risk of sounding redundant, ‘All The Bright Places’ is a tell-all take on mental health issues among young people, their suicidal tendencies and the need to seek professional help while debunking the stigma around this otherwise sensitive topic. The conversations about personal loss, grief and being differently wired are mostly free-flowing. In one of the scenes, the young soon-to-be-lovebirds fill up graffiti on a wall that asks the question: Before I die, I want to… Answering this, a distraught Violet writes, ‘Be Brave!’ and Theodore adds, ‘Be awake. Dance W the Gods’.
Based on author Jennifer Niven’s 2015 novel by the same name (who has also co-written this romantic drama), the film walks us through the journey of a brilliant Justice Smith as Theodore and Elle Fanning as Violet. Smith shines as the full-time adorable and part-time volatile young man who is struggling with his own mental make-up owing to years of domestic abuse while trying to show the brighter side of life to Violet. Elle Fanning starts off as a shattered teenager and as she jumps from one ‘wander’ to another, the smiles get wider and better and her personality shines through those round-rimmed glasses. Her transition from being an aloof, forlorn girl to someone ready to embrace life—however twisted—is phenomenal. Talking about her biggest fear, a withdrawn Violet looks Theodore in the eye and shares, “I wasn't worried about what would happen if I lived. I was worried about what would happen if I didn't.” It has to be one of the best scenes between the lead pair.
Directed by Brett Haley, yet another aspect of ‘All The Bright Places’ that deserves a special mention is its breath-of-fresh-air-like cinematography by Rob Givens. Together, the duo projects Indiana as this sleepy town that is home to some of the most beautiful and pristine places in the world: the hazel-hued lake, bike rides along country-side roads with lush green fields on either side and what not. Yes, the story does get a bit too overwhelming at times, barring a few humorous banters between Theodore and the school counsellor, but the vibrant cinematography keeps the visual excitement intact and makes up for the gloomy aura. Heart-warming original tracks by Keegan DeWitt like ‘Hearts Beat Loud’ and ‘I'll See You in My Dreams’ render the script the much-needed(and deserved) feel-good teen drama vibe.
When you have a narrative that is on the brink of being over-experimented with, chances of being repetitive are always higher. And this movie is no exception to that rule. The climax, although heart-breaking, is more of an extended monologue on mental health – something that the film has already established through Violet’s and Theodore’s stories. True, Theodore scores big with his larger-than-life persona and devil-may-care-less attitude but it does not make up for the fact that his character arc remains underexplored. In the end, the viewer is left with more questions about his life than one should be.
To be absolutely honest, ‘All The Bright Places’ doesn’t have the most unique plotline to have ever existed in the world of cinema but it works because of the way this story is told. It shows that sometimes the brightest smiles could be hiding the mightiest of painful experiences. And that all we need to do is look, observe, listen and direct them towards something bright and beautiful.